porch reveal

I had my doubts, but ladies and gentlemen, the porch is finally done!**ok, we still have to construct a storage bench but the impending demo party has delayed that for now.

But before the big reveal, let’s take a moment to reminisce.

Here is our cute, perfectly practical open porch in the 1930’s.

Yikes…and this is what it looked like when we bought the house in ’06. [We’re guessing the porch was enclosed in the ’60’s when the metal siding and aluminum windows were installed.] Exterior carpet, yuck!

Last summer we took out everything we didn’t want…

…and by last fall we had ourselves an inviting, solid new porch (and stoop!). We were so exhausted from all the exterior work that we took a few months off before finishing the inside, but today we are finally done and are here to bring you the official reveal!

Come on in!

We chose a light yet warm palette. The carpet tiles are from Flor. We opted for House Pet in “Irish Setter” and two squares of Coir to serves as an integral walk off mat. (We’re leaving our old walk off mat outside as an extra measure during the rainy season.) The future bench will go in the space to the left of the door. The current thinking is that it will be a fir box on steel legs with a chocolate brown paperstone lid/seat. There will be space for shoes under the bench and possibly on the opposite wall as well.

We also installed our new coat hooks! We’re going to try two for now and possibly install a third on the opposite side of the door. We painted the beveled siding the same “soot” color as the rest of the house to emphasize the indoor/outdoor relationship.

No coats yet…we wanted to enjoy them for a bit first.

Finally, the space had to earn the approval of one very particular family member. I cleaned the drool off the front door for these photos but it’s only a matter of time…

[Bailey also just got back from the groomer when I took this. I can no longer braid the fur on his paws, which is a very good thing.]

Our entry is tiny, only 35 square feet! It’s definitely workable but I’d say if your porch is smaller you may want to consider having both doors swing out so it’s easier to maneuver within the space. Good luck!

Great project. My wife and I are in the finishing detail stages of the renovation of our 1987 workman’s cottage in Chicago. We took the opposite approach of diving in head on with a construction loan. Given the state of the economy, not the greatest decision in hind site. Still, we’re in for the long haul so time will tell. One of the details we’re still working out is the trim detail; e.g., door casing, baseboards, window sills (drywall return sides/top), etc. I love the simple detail you’ve used on the porch. Can you provide any detail (no pun intended) on how you did it. I’m hoping to test my skills with our new miter saw, table saw and planer (rental) using reclaimed lumber from our local rebuild exchange. Thanks. Looking forward to the 2010 work.

Brandon, Not sure if you meant interior or exterior. Interior trim is 1x (3/4″) formaldehyde free MDF. the exterior is just 1x SPF material but at the sills we used cedar. The sills have a 20 degree slope so water doesn’t stay on them. The head trims have a metal drip cap to cover the trim for the same reason. The edges of the trim which protrude are 1×2″ turned on their side. These went in first then the flat 1×4 and 1×6 trim went on next. All the trim is caulked at the joints with a lifetime warranty paintable caulk (benjamin moore) and we used clear silicone in between the window and trim. Not sure if this is the info you were looking for let me know and I can explain more. I’d be happy to go into more detail about how to properly prep for a window opening before doing the trim work. -Cheers

That is exactly what I was looking for – the interior trim info. We keep debating between trying to “honor” the original style of trim and incorporating a simple “modern” look. The interior had been previously gutted so we’re not adding any damage but being that we’ve restored the outside (historic district), we’re trying to balance the looks. Perhaps our exposed brick and 10″ I beam have already answered that question…

Again, thanks so much. Your blog is great and all the hands-on work you did inspirational.

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Hello! This started out as the story of two architects and their 1910 fixer-upper in Seattle, but you know what they say…when you own an old home, it ends up owning you! Follow along as we turn this small house into our home.MORE ABOUT US >